4 Stress-Free Alternatives to Boarding Your Pup

Between booking an extra seat on the airplane to finding the best hotel rooms for pups, we’ve all gone to some extremes to make sure they’re right next to us for every leg of our journeys. But sometimes, no matter how you try to hack it, your vacation plans aren’t dog-friendly. Nobody wants to ‘board’ anymore, so here are some 2.0 alternatives to keep your pup well taken care of while you’re away.

If Your Pup Has Picky Taste

DogVacay recently merged with Rover to form the nation’s largest network of dog walkers and sitters across 10,000 cities. You can choose from a variety of services, like house sitting, drop-in visits, and day care, and meet up with any applicant before you book to make sure your pup bonds with them—especially helpful if you have a choosy pup when it comes to humans.

If Your Pup Doesn’t Mind Sleeping Alone

In addition to more traditional walking and in-home sitting services, Fetch! has an “almost overnight” accommodation that is perfect for any low-maintenance pup. Someone will come for an extended in-home evening visit and a follow-up morning visit, so your doggo can maintain his normal feeding and walk schedule. Fetch! also takes the hassle out of searching through sitters by personally matching your pup’s needs to a professional one they’ve already vetted.

If Your Pup Knows There’s No Place Like Home

In exchange for their rent-free accommodations, HouseCarers.com helps match you with a house sitter who will perform pup care duties, like feeding, exercise, and medication dosing (they’ll also do things like water your plants while you’re away.) The site provides each sitter’s previous pet care experience, so you can find one who matches your pup’s needs without taking them out of their comfortable environment.

If Your Pup Needs Some Special Attention

Pet Sitters International seriously commits to educating sitters, which means this service is perfect for pups who need a little extra TLC. They’re all certified in areas like pet health, nutrition, and first aid, so they’re ideal for puppies, senior dogs, or special needs dogs. PSI only hosts sitters who will take care of your pup at home, which means less stress and interruption to your dog’s daily routine.

The Ollie blog is devoted to helping pet parents lead healthier lives with their pups. If you want to learn more about our fresh, human-grade food, check out MyOllie.com.